DRS - Demigod Rescue Squad
by McCanner
Summary: They are the unsung heroes of Camp Half-Blood. After an increase in satyr casualties, they are called into action to rescue demigods in need. This is their story.
1. Chapter 1

Chiron knew he wouldn't like the result of this meeting.

He was walking a young and wounded Grover Underwood to the Council of Cloven Elders for a report. The poor satyr was trembling, thinking his license would be revoked, since this had been his second mistake in all his career. Though none of his previous charges blamed him in the slightly, Chiron could see how Grover was pushing himself hard to make up for Thalia Grace's situation.

He pulled out of his thoughts when he arrived upon the Council. He would like to stand there and show his support to Grover, but he was an honorary member of the Council and as such, he couldn't be showing favoritism. Not that the others cared about it, since they were showing favoritism all the time, but Chiron wasn't going to call them on that.

"Grover Underwood." Silenus, one of the oldest satyrs you could ever found, started. He was sitting on the left of the head chair that was specially reserved for Mr. D. "Care to explain us why you face this augustus body with a wound?!" Chiron sighed, knowing the honest explanation would set them off.

"W-well, you see..." Grover started to stutter the words, not nearly ready to face the Council again, but he had too. "I- I was on my way to retrieve a demigod-"

"Stop!" Maron, at the right of Mr. D's honorary seat, raised his palm to stop him from talking. "Underwood, make like the trees, now!" Not trying to find the funny side of the pun, Grover left trying not to stumble in the way. Only when the young satyr was gone, the Council directed their questions to Chiron. "What in Underworld, Chiron?!"

"As Grover was trying to explain..." Chiron began, with his infinite patience. "He was about to make contact with the demigod, but a monster appeared and had a locked target on him. Naturally, Grover distracted him enough for the demigod to escape, but was left with a broken arm. The Healers say it would be alright in a couple of weeks-"

"This has to stop, Chiron!" Leneus, the most vocal of them, demanded. "I, for one, will not tolerate that our satyrs are doing the dangerous job of getting demigods to safety when it's obviously your job to get them here!" Many in the Council voiced their agreement. Chiron sighed, satyrs were very headstrong and, theses in particular, lazy. "We should be aiming our efforts in searching for Pan!"

"My dear Leneus-" Chiron stopped himself for a second. Claiming that Pan was dead, as it had been proclaimed eons ago would not do any good. It would see him as the villain and the Council didn't want to hear a word against it. Even if Pan showed up and died in front of them, they would call it a fake and keep searching. "-who do you propose to send, instead of satyrs, to recover demigods?"

Many of the satyrs in the Council stopped talking and looked at each other. Yes, they were all in favor about not sending satyrs to retrieve demigods, but none of them were actually proposing a solution. Chiron knew there was a solution, actually he had already thought of several ones, but there was only going to be one that the Council would accept.

"Do we need to send for them?" Silenus asked with hatred. Chiron closed his eyes and counted to ten before replying.

"Silenus, I doubt that even your benevolent Mr. D would save you if the Olympians discover you are the reason they could fade away..." Chiron decided to be a little aggressive, as these meetings never accomplished anything. "If this were to happen, you could be relegated to the woods and forbidden from searching for Pan-"

"They wouldn't dare!" Maron was fast on his hooves, his face red in angry. Chiron simply shrugged his shoulders.

"They're not doing much of an effort now, so why would they care?" His retort disarmed many of the satyrs, who were furiously whispering to each other. Maron held his eyes on Chiron one last second before admitting defeat. "There's one solution, but I'm reluctant in proposing it, as my concerns are the same as yours with your satyrs-"

"Anything that keep satyrs away from danger is good in our books-"

"Then, suspend the searches for Pan." That statement drew gasps and horror looks from the Council and one old satyr passed out from the shock. "I thought not. Now, I was going to say we should make some new rules about this solution... Even then, we'll have the trouble that no one could identify the monsters until is too late..."

"Couldn't the brat of-" Chiron silenced the satyr with a look. "I meant to say, the children of Lord Hephaestus couldn't come up with something?"

"Alas, they had tried..." And failed horribly... "But nothing will be able to replace a satyr's nose."

"Speak clear, Chiron!" Leneus was getting impatient. "Name your solution or we will have this conversation over and buried!"

"I was thinking of reinstating the Rescue Squad."


	2. Chapter 2

_Two years ago_

Connor McLaughlin never saw himself as a kid to run away from home.

The lifestyle his hall of fame dad was able to afford was much nicer than many of the people he knew at school.

His dad was hall of fame linebacker in the NFL and after retiring, he decided to settle down and raise a family.

Only problem was that his dad couldn't help but live retroactively through his son. He was always pushing him to work his hardest. Part of him wanted to see his son succeed but another wanted to see his son be just like him.

Connor grew older and older until the sixteen year old finally said enough was enough and packed up his things and drove off into the night.

He had been at it for a few weeks now and had decided to try and give New York City a visit. There was just something about that place that drew him to it.

He could've gone on further thinking about his journey but Connor was brought back to the real world when he saw a little girl and her puppy in the middle of the road.

He swerved out of the way to avoid hitting them and ended up on the side of the road.

The young man quickly unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the truck as quickly as possible to make sure the girl was okay.

"Are you alright?!" He asked as he ran over to her.

The little girl was shivering in the cold rain as she clutched the little yellow lab puppy against her.

She had curly red hair that was currently soaked along with the rest of her. She had on a thin rain coat that covered her up but it clearly wasn't warm enough.

"Here," Connor said as he reached his hand out, "Come with me, I'll take care of you,"

 _Present day_

Connor woke from his luxurious bunk bed in the Hermes cabin to a familiar face.

"Hey Kino," he said with a chuckle before the Labrador dog gave him a big lick across the face.

"Time for breakfast Alex," a feminine voice spoke up.

He looked over to see Ella standing there, already dressed in her camp attire.

"You're up early," Connor said with a yawn before he got up to stretch.

Ella just rolled her eyes, "Everyone else is already at breakfast, if it wasn't for Kino not wanting to leave you behind, I would've already gone," she said before petting the dog behind the ears.

The rest of the day went by as normal as Connor went about his daily activities.

That includes trying not to get embarrassed by Luke in the combat arena, making sure to not hit any other campers with arrows in archery, and trying not to capsize his canoe on the lake.

On first glance, you would think he was a below average camper. However, when it came to sports from the mortal world, he was excellent.

Due to his lineage as a son of the god Nike, something he found out pretty quickly once he got to camp, he can perfectly mimic any other ability.

There is a catch to this ability though. He can only mimic someone for so long before his energy depletes and he goes unconscious. That's why he seems so average when it comes to a lot of camp activities.

The bright side is that he can mimic star athletes and it doesn't drain his energy as much.

Whether it be a hall of fame basketball, baseball, or football player. Connor could put himself in control of any sports activity at camp.

He still remembers the time he broke the rim on the basketball court during a game against the Apollo cabin. Sure they can light it up for three pointers, but Connor could do that and rock the rim with dunks that looked effortless.

Anyways, Connor sat down at the cramped Hermes table with Ella for their dinner that night. Connor had been at camp with Ella for the past two years and after their initial encounter, she had became a little sister to him in a way. They both came to camp at the same time and lived in the same cabin with each other for the past two years.

"Attention campers!" Chiron spoke up as he prepared to give the announcements.

Everyone turned their attention to Chiron as he stood on his hooves.

"Before we start this feast, I just wanted to let Connor and Ella know that I need to see them in my office afterwards. Also, remember that we will be playing capture the flag in a few weeks. I believe you all are already counting down the days. So, without further ado, To the gods!"

He raised his glass along with everyone else before they started walking over to the hearth to deposit some of their food to their respective godly parents.

"What do you think Chiron wants to see us for?" Ella asked to Connor in a whisper as they sat back down at the table.

"Dunno, maybe he's tired of you checking out all the new campers," Connor responded with a chuckle.

Ella's face turned as red as an apple before she slugged him in the shoulder.

"This is serious Connor!" She said with a bit of a squeak.

Connor had tried to play off the news but he was concerned as well.

He just gave her a shrug before they started eating.

 _LATER_

Connor had never been in Chiron's office and he had never felt more nervous in his life.

Well, except for maybe that one time he got sent to the principals office.

"Ah, there you are, please sit down," Chiron said as he rolled over to them i his wheelchair form.

Connor and Ella sat down but it did little to relax them.

"So, are we in trouble or something?" Connor asked.

"Oh gods no child, I simply have a proposition for you and young Ella here," Chiron responded in a friendly tone that had a bit of sadness behind it.

"Ok….what is it?" Ella asked.

"I'm sure you both know about the satyr's correct?" He spoke getting nods from the two demigods.

"Well, unfortunately, the Council of Cloven Elders has had enough of their satyr's losing their lives looking for demigod's when they could be searching for the lost god Pan," Chiron explained and judging by the tone of his voice, he clearly wasn't too pleased with the council's decision.

"What does that have to do with us?" Connor asked.

"The gods have been given no better choice than to revive the old DRS, or the Demigod Rescue Squad and they have chosen you two as it's first members," Chiron spoke.

It suddenly felt like the temperature in the room had gone down and the only thing that could be heard was the Galaga machine in the corner.

"They want...us?" Ella spoke to break the silence.

"It wasn't my decision unfortunately but this is the bidding of the gods," Chiron said with a sigh.

"So, what will we have to do? Are we just gonna go around looking for demigods?" Connor asked.

"For the most part yes, but you will have some help," Chiron said before there was a bright burst of light in the room signaling the arrival of a god.

Once the light died down, a little brown haired girl around Ella's age appeared.

"Hello Hestia," Chiron spoke in greeting to the goddess who gave a warm smile to all of them.

"Hello Chiron," she spoke in a friendly voice.

"Uhhh, what is Hestia doing here?" Connor asked.

"She's going to preside over you and help you bring in new demigods," Chiron explained as Hestia's Greek clothing shifted into jeans and a camp shirt.

"Yes demigods, I have been granted full permission to assist you," She spoke and Connor wanted to feel relief that they had a goddess on their side but he couldn't shake the feeling of dread he was also feeling.

His life was about to take a dramatic turn and it is all thanks to the DRS.


	3. Chapter 3

"But... Why do we have to go...?" Ella had asked for what it seemed the tenth time the same question. She hadn't been satisfied with the reasons Chiron had gave her and Connor and now, she was pulling out her inquisitive nature.

"I thought you wanted to have a quest..." Connor tried to distract her, while he was packing some things in a duffle-bag. "I heard you sighing and hoping to have one since Luke went on his..."

"It's different." Ella pouted, trying not to look red in embarrassment. "I still don't get why we have to go around the country to search for someone like us... Why can't senior campers go? They can identify demigods better than us... Even Kino could do it better than us!" She pointed at her not-a-puppy-anymore, that was comfortable taking a nap on the floor.

"You're right in that, but that's why we have a goddess by our side..." Ella kept pouting. She trusted Connor, she did. It was her big brother and nothing was going to happen as long as Connor was around, but she had been wary of people for a long time. Connor knew the reason, but she wasn't that forgiving. "Besides, it will be really quick, piece of cake..."

"If you say so..." She finished, shrugging. Connor ignored the packing and sat next to her.

"You scared?" He received a nodding as answer. "Don't be... I'll be with you and nothing bad will happen to you..."

"And you? What if something happens to you...?" In moments like this, Ella showed to the world around her that she was still a child. Sure, she was twelve but she behaved like she was twenty most the times and things like this only pointed out that she was a young girl growing up. Connor sighed and hugged her tight.

"I'll be alright as well..." He tried to sooth her. "Do you trust me?" She nodded again on his chest. "Then, trust we will be alright..."

"OK..."

"Come on, we have to get ready and ask someone to look after Kino while we're away..." She nodded one more time and began helping him into making a bag with her things. She didn't have much except some clothes and some money she had from her first runaway try. It could come in handy...

~oOo~

The next morning, Ella was in a truck that Connor had asked 'borrowed' with Hestia on her side.

The goddess had been really quiet since they had appointed the mission to them and Ella wondered why she was like that. She wondered what was going through her mind... did she have someone else inside her mind? Or she was not trying to depress them? Connor hadn't said much, but that why he was paying attention to the road. Very responsible of him.

"So... Who is this person we will be picking up?" Ella suddenly asked, breaking the silence that was inside the vehicle. Connor raised an eyebrow, interested, but said nothing. Hestia, however, was showing a small smile and had a faraway look, almost as if she was melancholic.

"Someone like you..."

"Could we have some physical description or we need to grab the first person we come across with?" Connor's eyes widen big upon said question. Not because of the words but because of the voice's tone. He had never seen Ella talking like that to someone, not even him.

"You'll see..." Hestia replied, not even losing her cool and surprising the rest of the group.

~oOo~

Brett Thompson thought his day couldn't get any worst.

But it did.

He had been quiet all day during school. None of his friends had gone that day due to a flu outbreak. If we count that for matter, half the school was absent, so it wasn't a big deal. But the school ringleaders saw this as an opportunity to get him unaided and decided to make him their target. Brett ignored them until it was time for lunch.

He could never imagine how mad and bad things could get.

"Look what we got here..." One of the main quarterbacks of the team started to annoy him. Despite the age differences, Brett had no doubt that he could destroy this guy any time, though the question remained...

"Are you stupid enough to not be able to see it with your own eyes?" A chorus of 'ohhh's followed that comment, while Brett tried to avoid the confrontation. Not as if he didn't want a good fight, he was dying for a good one! But, his mother had already too many complains from the Principal and one more could mean a suspension, something he didn't want to have.

"You think you're too tough, don't you?" The quarterback argued, grabbing his arm. Brett glanced at the hand on his arm and pushed it away, frowning, however the guy grabbed his arm again, with more force than before. His eyes spoke volumes but this guy was either stupid or was taunting him. "You won't be tough when I gut your entrails and present them to your mother..."

That made Brett stop cold. How dare them threaten him with his mother? And the tone of his voice and the complete repulse look in the quarterback's eyes was what made Brett realize something else was happening. Not wanting to make a bigger scandal, he pushed the hand away, only to be pushed to a wall under the complete shock of the entire cafeteria.

Gasping and grunting, Brett got up and faced the guy, who wasn't looking too much like a guy anymore. The perfect definition would be that he wasn't looking human anymore! Other kids would run away from the scene while many were paralyzed in shock and morbid curiosity, just like Brett. Who the hell was this guy?!

"What the hell do you want?!" He finally asked, struggling to be standing up. The guy simply smirked evilly.

"Your blood on the floor!" He looked ready to launch, but before he could do so, he was taken away from his line of vision and through a wall. Someone had literally gone through the wall with him! Seconds later, from the hole, a guy around nineteen walked by, smirking.

"Well, that was fun..." He spoke, looking around. He was raising what it seemed to be a baseball bat and pointed it around. "Now, who was the poor soul that was being tormented?" All eyes and fingers directed to Brett, who was looking more and more confused every second. The guy walked to him, lowering the bat. "What's your name, kid?"

"Why the hell should I tell you?" Upon that reply, the guy started to laugh.

"Oh, definitely Ares..." He chuckled, not making any sense to Brett. "Let me guess: single mother, probably in the military?" Brett gaped at him, but turned into a frown. "Father died in combat or not even spoken about it?"

"What is with you?"

"Connor!" A feminine voice stopped the older guy and a girl around twelve appeared, frowning and crossing her arms. "We don't have time for this! And you! Let's go!" She told Brett, with authoritarian voice. Brett blinked as the older guy did exactly what it was asked of him, giving him a last glance to him.

"Wanna stand there all day? Or you rather find out what happened?"

Brett didn't think it twice.


	4. Chapter 4

Connor was no stranger to the southeastern part of the country.

That's currently where he found himself and the goddess Hestia as they were searching for a demigod in rural Tennessee.

They didn't have much information other that she was 18, like Connor, and that she was potentially a daughter of Apollo.

They had a lead that Sydney, the name of the girl they were searching for, could often be found hanging around a local bar.

Considering that they were in a small town in Tennessee, he hoped she wouldn't be too hard to spot.

"There's the bar over there," Hestia pointed out to him as they walked down the sidewalk.

The place looked like your stereotypical small town bar. It had neon signs of different types of booze all over the outside along with a cartoon bear with a beer in its hand.

The Dizzy Bear, what a creative name.

Before they could even make it to the front door, they heard the sound of footsteps scuffling inside the door and were greeted with a drunk middle aged man getting tossed out of the place and landing at their feet.

"I think we might have found our girl," Connor said with a bit of wit which made Hestia giggle.

While at camp, the goddess of the Hearth often took the appearance of a young pre-teen but today she looked just as old as Alex and had on a casual outfit.

"That's your last warning Frankie, next time you try stealin' drinks here, you won't be so lucky," a feminine voice spoke up from inside the bar.

That's when Connor saw her, and boy did she defy his expectations.

The mystery demigod stood in the doorway of the bar with her arms crossed and a stern yet cocky look on her face.

She had blonde hair that reached her shoulders that was messy along with a heart shaped face.

Connor didn't have much time to admire the girl's tomboy looks before she stepped over to him.

"And who are you two supposed to be?" She asked.

She stepped over towards Connor and Hestia with a questioning look on her face. She had on loose fitting blue jeans with boots on to go with a white t-shirt.

"Oh uh...you see we-" Connor stammered to start talking before Hestia cut in.

"Can we talk you into dinner? What time does your shift end?" she said in her trademark sweet voice.

The girl raised an eyebrow, most of the offers for dinner usually came from drunk bar patrons wanting to get a date but something about Hestia's voice gave her enough reason to trust her.

"Alright fine, I get off in an hour," she said before she went back inside the bar, not knowing what adventures would be awaiting her after the dinner she just agreed to.

—-

"That's got to be some of the dumbest stuff I've ever heard!" Sydney yelled out getting some looks from other people in the restaurant.

Connor and Hestia had just given her the rundown on pretty much everything they could. Whether it be the gods themselves or Camp Half-Blood.

Sydney had been laughing pretty much the whole time and hadn't taken anything they said seriously.

Connor was starting to get frustrated and clenched his fists before Hestia put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Listen Sydney, we know that all of this sounds very strange to you but the Greek gods are very much alive," Hestia said.

It didn't do much but it made Sydney stop laughing like a hyena.

"Ok then, say all of what you said is true, how would I factor in to all of this?" She asked as their food arrived.

The diner they ate at had the standard menu of greasy burgers and fries along with milkshakes and other American style food.

Sydney ordered the cheeseburger with fries and a coke while Connor ordered just a salad.

"You are a demigod Sydney, one of the mortal children of the gods," Hestia explained as she waited until the waitress left and made a plate of ambrosia appear in front of her.

"H-how did you do that?" Sydney stammered.

Hestia went to take a bite of her ambrosia before she blushed a little.

"Oh, I probably should introduce myself, my name is Hestia, the goddess of the Hearth," she said with a warm smile.

Sydney just started laughing again and Connor rolled his eyes.

"Ok listen here you," Connor interrupted with a harsh tone. He had clearly gotten tired of Sydney's attitude towards them.

"We drove here all the way from Long Island to try and help you but with if you're going to keep being so ungrateful then maybe we'll leave you for the hellhounds to eat!" Connor yelled.

"Connor!" Hestia shouted as she put a hand on his shoulder.

Sydney just ignored Connor's outburst and laughed even harder.

"Hellhounds?! I've been alive for over 18 years and not once have I seen a stupid hellhound," she kept laughing before she started eating her food.

Hestia sighed before she decided enough was enough. The goddess of the Hearth extended her hand out over the table and invoked some gentle warm flames that spread over her hand.

Sydney's expression immediately changed from a doubtful one to a surprised one as she sat there with her mouth open before Hestia extinguished the flames.

"Believe us now?" Connor asked. His tone became more matter-of-fact as he now knew they had at least convinced the skeptical Sydney a little.

"How'd you do that?" Sydney asked.

Hestia giggled at the poor demigod's lost expression before she looked at her.

"I already told you sweetie, I'm the goddess of the Hearth," she explained in a sincere voice.

"Uh-huh right, so where did you learn magic like that?" Sydney asked and Connor just groaned.

That finally got Sydney's attention and she wasn't too pleased with this guy's attitude.

"Listen here you wannabe jock, if you were in my position you'd be skeptical too!" She snapped.

Connor just let out a long sigh, "I understand that this is a lot to take I but you have to trust us, it's a miracle you've made it this long as a demigod,"

Sydney narrowed her eyes at the young man across from her. Growing up around her alcoholic mom, she didn't really have an innate trust of many people. Especially not people who summoned fire and food like it was nothing. She had never seen anything like this and while she still had her doubts, the life of a demigod maybe had some excitement. The only excitement she got at the bar was tossing out dumb drunk men who would rather kiss her.

"I'm in," she spoke abruptly.

"You what?!" Connor responded spitting out some of his salad.

"I still have my doubts about you two, but I think it's about time I switch things up in my li-" she started to explain before there was a light above her head and that's when her life was going to change.

"All hail Sydney Hughes! Daughter of Apollo!" Hestia announced as Connor just looked on in disbelief.


	5. Chapter 5

Aaron wasn't having a good day. The library was packed to the brim, much to his displeasure, and Capri was making up a test during their free lunch period, so he didn't even have the pleasure of her company.

"Laestrygonian giants… a tribe of man eating giants, best known for their role in Odysseus's journey from Troy…" He read silently from the giant book in-front of him.

He slammed the book shut and ran a hand through his unruly brown hair, sighing in annoyance.

"No! That can't be it either, the water wasn't deep enough!" He hissed angrily.

He had searched every book, in every stupid library in Princeton New Jersey, to try and find what the thing was that killed his dad and it still hadn't worked. He had been searching for over a year, and his deadbeat Uncle was no help. He didn't believe Aaron when he told him that he knew his father didn't simply 'drown'.

 _Your Dad drowned trying to save you in the water because your dumbass didn't wait long enough after you ate._ That was what he often said in the first few months of his investigation. However, Aaron knew. The image of those golden eyes under the water were going to be lodged into his nightmares forever.

"Oi! Brainiac!" A loud buff voice came through.

"Oh great…" He muttered leaning back in his chair.

Trip the big beefy captain of the lacrosse team was a seething idiot. And there was nothing that made Aaron more annoyed then people who lacked common sense like him. Despite his relatively smaller stature compared to the boy, he knew he could take him. However, he wasn't trying to get kicked out of another school again. He didn't inherit any money or belongings, which included a large house on the Jersey shore, from his fathers will till he turned 18 in 3 years.

The point was, with his drunk Uncle as a guardian, he could afford another school.

He rolled his eyes. "Well Trip, looks like you managed to dress yourself this morning congratulations." He muttered.

Trip, flanked by his two rather large idiot friends who, Aaron couldn't be remembered to bother the names of surrounded the table he was at. The other kids and staff who were supposed to be supervising during their lunch period were to oblivious to notice.

"We have all wear the same outfits everyday idiot!" He shouted angrily, slamming his fist to the table in-front of him.

Aaron rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and I'm still surprised you manage to get dressed every morning. You know the shirts top button is supposed to be buttoned right?"

Trip looked down, and saw that his top button was indeed buttoned, but the fact he was tricked so easily caused Aaron to throw his head back in laughter.

"Hahahaaaaa, you are too easy. Now, I have work to do if you'd kindly just leave me be." Aaron said picked up the giant Greek dictionary.

As soon as he did that and went to stand up the book was knocked out of his hands. He sighed as Trip angrily grabbed the collar of his shirt and tossed him back into the chair. Aaron rolled his eyes, knowing what was going to happen, and trying to form a plan to get himself out of this mess.

"Come on, are we really going to do this right now?" He asked in an exasperated tone.

"Your damn right we are! What do you got on you today?" He said, as he gestured over to his two lackeys.

Aaron felt his arms pinned back behind the chair and he looked over the mass of kids in the library and saw the last teacher walking out. Well, there goes his plan for having the adults help. No kid was going to help him. They never did.

Trip reached down into Aaron's left pocket, grabbing his wallet.

"Woah, you're spending a lot of time down their Trip didn't know you swung that way but hey to each his own-."

"Shut up! God, nothing!? What the hell are you poor or something!?" He demanded after seeing no cash in his wallet.

Aaron rolled his eyes as his arms were still pinned back. "Well yeah, you see I don't have two extremely rich parents to buy my way out of everything like you. How much did your dad have to pay to keep you on the team after that whole debacle with the DUI-."

His wallet was tossed at his face, which did nothing but slightly annoy Aaron, he had gotten used to all of this, from having it happen so many times.

"Hhm, well at least I have parents! Where are yours at again?" He said, smirking like he had said something clever.

Aaron's blood tightened up a little. Trip laughed, seeming very satisfied with himself.

"Word gets around… dead the both of them, aren't they?" He asked arrogantly.

"Shut the hell up you imbecile!" He snapped, finally losing his persona.

"Oh? Struck a nerve, did I? And what are you going to do about it loser?"

Aaron finally struggled against the two kids grip, when he saw Trip winding up for a punch. Just before he could brace, his savior appeared in the form of flash of caramel brown.

"Playing nice I'm assuming right boys?" Capri said in-front of Aaron with her arms crossed, a very annoyed look on her face.

At the presence of the girl, both boys dropped Aaron's arms and stood at attention besides him. They were all ogling at Capri who Aaron knew was as annoyed by it as he was.

She crossed her arms and glared daggers at Trip. "Well!? You're playing nice right Trip!? Or do I need to get Mrs. Sheppard down here again?" She asked him.

He shook his head quickly, but his cocky grin soon returned as he tried to flash his pretty boy smile at Capri.

"Ah, Capri fancy meeting you here." He said in a suave manner.

Capri rolled her eyes. "I go to school here jackass of course you see me here."

"Now come on, don't be like that. Why do you hang around with this loner anyway? You'd have much more fun with-."

Trip's last mistake was trying to put his arm around Capri. When he did, she grabbed it, twisted it behind his back, and slammed his body down onto the table where Aaron had been sitting. She got close to his ears.

"Now I know you weren't trying to just put your arm around me after almost hitting my best-friend…RIGHT!?" She hissed at him.

He shook his head quickly. She nodded, "Good, now you're not going to bother me or Aaron for the rest of the year… RIGHT!?"

He quickly nodded again, and she tossed him up. "Good, now get the hell out of here."

Aaron watched as Trip and his two cronies dashed off away from the library. Capri tossed her caramel brown hair behind her and turned to him a smirk on her face.

"Didn't you have a vocab test to make up?" He asked her.

She rolled her eyes. "'Hey, thanks for saving me from getting my ass kicked Capri' Hey! No problem Aaron!" She mocked.

Aaron laughed, which caused her to laugh in the end. The two say at the table and she looked over to him.

"You know I'm not going to be able to save you every time you know?"

He laughed. "I know that, I do appreciate it though."

"You know how you can thank me?"

"How?"

"Finally ask me out on a date idiot." She said jokingly.

Aaron chuckled and shook his head. "And why would the how Trip would describe it 'The baddest, hottest girl in school.', want to go on a date with me?"

She scoffed and rolled her eyes before she gave a mischievous grin. "Because I've secretly had a huge crush on you since the moment I met you. And I know you like me too." She said exaggeratedly.

The two laughed and Capri noticed the giant Greek dictionary on the table. She flipped through the pages and looked up at him, with sad eyes.

"Still nothing?" She asked.

He shook his head. "No… nothing I've read about has come close yet. One day though I'm going to find it… and it's going to pay." He said darkly.

Capri bit her bottom lip, which Aaron knew was one of her habits for when she got nervous.

"Don't beat yourself up too much Aaron. Maybe take a day off from the whole you know, searching, learning, studying, thing and just relax! Why don't you come over my place today!?" She asked excitedly.

He looked at her nervously. "I… I don't know. Would you be allowed to have me over?"

She scoffed and nodded. "Bah, please Dad has been out filming for weeks. Won't be back till next month. And Bill will definitely let you come! You can even stay the night if you'd like!" She said excitedly.

"You want me to sleep with you already? I mean I guess Cap, but I should at least take you on that date first-. OW!" He yelled as she punched him in the arms with a roll of her eyes.

"I don't mean in the same bed idiot. We have plenty of guest rooms. Come onnnn lets do it! You can how me more of that self-defense stuff." She suggested with a smile.

Dom sighed nervously. He knew he had to be close, there could only be so many myths and legends he could study before he found the creature he was looking for that killed his father.

"I don't know Cap…"

"Pleaseeeeeeeee!" She begged looking at him with big eyes.

"Oh, don't do that to me. Don't use those eyes." He complained.

She simply stared at him, her big brown eyes. Finally, he sighed and relented. "Ugh, fine. Fine I guess I'll come."

"Awesome, we can walk to my place after the bell!" She said with a smile.

Aaron had no idea what he had just gotten himself into.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"Wow… it's huge." Aaron muttered as Capri turned the key to her door.

He knew Capri's dad was a seriously successful actor, however from the size of the house she had you'd have thought Leonardo DiCaprio lived there.

Capri however rolled her eyes. "Well when your dad's as 'famous' as mine it happens. Come on let's get something to ear, then you can show me that one move you were showing me with the sword the other day!" She said excitedly.

The sword training, they did was as basic as it could get. He didn't have much left of his dad, but he did get a single giant box after he died. The rest of the stuff he wouldn't get till he turned 18, but the box held a few interesting items. It was standard stuff like pictures and stuff but the big one was the letter. It said, ' _Your mother insisted'._ The letter was attached to a video on sword combat, and in the bottom of the giant was what surprised him the most. The box had two swords in them. They had blunted edges, so they didn't hurt him, but they were perfect replicas of the ones he saw in the movies and stuff.

He took it as apparently his mother wanted him to take up sword fighting? He didn't have anything of his mother, so he wasn't about to ignore it.

The two entered the house and were greeting by an older man with a tuff of white scraggily hair and mustache.

"Hey Bill!" Capri said happily hugging the older man who smiled back at here.

"Welcome back Capri, ah I see we have a guest?" He said his eyes turning on Aaron.

"Bill this is Aaron! He's my friend from school. Aaron this is Bill, closest thing to a father I ever had!" She said proudly.

Aaron laughed but Bill looked at Capri sadly. "Young lady… you have no idea how much your father has done for you." He said grimly.

Capri sighed and rolled her eyes. "I wish you'd elaborate. I swear all you adults are so vague." She muttered.

Bill sighed and turned to Aaron. "It's very nice to meet your young man. Young Capri here has told me so much about you." He said, making Capri go wide-eyed.

Aaron laughed. "Oh… has she now?"

The old man laughed. "Yes, she really has. In her room she even has a picture of the two of you-."

"BILL!?" She exclaimed grabbing the mans arm.

Aaron and the man laughed with Capri going a shade of red that Aaron had never seen before. The laughter was interrupted by a knock at the door. While Bill and Aaron laughed Capri rolled her eyes and went to answer the door.

Aaron finally managed to stop laughed and turned to see Capri swing the door open. He felt something surge through him when the door opened. His head shot up, and he saw who was standing in the doorway. He quickly made his way over next to Capri who had a similarly stunned look on her face.

There wasn't anything particularly outstanding about the two kids at the door. The guy and girl were probably 18, only a few years older then them. The guy was wearing tall and large, and looked like he was a serious athlete. He was wearing a pair of jeans and an orange t-shirt and was leaning on a baseball bat. Despite being the larger one, he looked more nervous than the girl.

The girl was wearing loose fitting jeans with a pair of boots with blonde hair flowing around her shoulders. She looked like she was having a wonderful time being at the door of a mansion belonging to people she didn't know.

Capri found her voice before Aaron. "Um… can I help you?" She asked tersely.

The boy nodded still appearing nervous. "Um yes! Are the two of you." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a slip of paper.

He slowly read. "Aaron Aileen and… Capri Cousland?"

Capri looked at up at Aaron, who stepped up and nodded. "Yes… we are can we help you with anything?"

The boy was about to speak up again before the girl snapped her fingers. "Oh my god are you related to Aedan Cousland!?" She asked excitedly.

Aaron and Capri locked eyes and both rolled their eyes before Capri huffed indignantly. "Yeah that's my dad unfortunately. Now, if you guys want autographs he's not here he's-."

"HA! Should have guessed someone like Aedan Cousland attracted a goddess." She said casually looking at the older kid.

Aaron froze, and looked down at Capri. The two locked eyes and then he looked back to the two kids. "Hold up, goddess? What the hell are you guys talking about?" He demanded.

The boy looked down annoyed at his partner. "Well we WEREN'T supposed to mention that YET. Maybe we should go inside or sit down somewhere and-."

"Oh, come on Connor stop being so dramatic. You two know about the Greek Gods? Yeah, well you're both demi-gods the half mortal half god offspring of the Greek Gods! Just figured out myself not too long ago, now you need to come with us before you get eaten by monsters." She said clearly wanting to get a move on.

Aaron looked over to Capri again who was already looking at him incredulously. Then, they both thought about what the two kids said, and couldn't hold the laugh from themselves.

"BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The girl looked up at the boy confused, and he simply sighed and facepalmed.

"HAHAHAHAHA oh my god! A GODDESS? My mom!? Are you kidding me? That's the craziest thing I ever heard, HAHAHAHAAAAA!" Capri wailed holding her side.

Aaron next to her was in a similar state. "HAHAHAHHAHAHA Oh lord Greek gods and goddesses being real? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Look man, I know my stuff. Greek, Roman, Norse, Egyptian, you name it and I know about it. But them being real? HAHAHAHAAAAAA!" He said holding his side along with Capri.

"I… wasn't expecting that reaction." The girl said to Connor.

Connor facepalmed. "Well you weren't supposed to tell them like that!"

Aaron recovered from his laughed and looked at the two older kids. "Hahaha, ohhhhh man that was a good laugh. Okay you guys get out of here, pick another house to go play your joke on, I'm to smart to fall for a joke like that, so is Capri here."

"He's definitely an Athena kid…" The boy mumbled before Aaron closed the door on the two of them.

Capri took a few deep breaths giggling between after the door closed. "Oh my god, can you believe that? Oh man that was funny. Come on, let's go to the back yard to practice." She said still giggling as she walked past Bill towards the back.

Aaron's laughter managed to die down.

Greek Gods and Goddesses being alive. That wasn't possible right?

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"High, low, side, stab, in that order!" Aaron ordered holding up the wooden stick that they used to practice.

Capri complied with the strikes, while Aaron easily deflected every blow. He was impressed by her skills; however, his mind was still elsewhere.

" _He's definitely an Athena kid…"_

Athena. The word of the goddess of legend stuck on his mind, for so long, he didn't notice the stick slam into his arm.

"Ow!" He complained.

"HA! I finally land a hit-. Are you okay?" She asked when she saw him looking off.

Aaron slowly nodded his head. "Yeah I just… got the feeling that something's wrong."

Capri bit her lip and rubbed her chin. "Well do you have any idea what it is?"

"No, I... I just have this weird feeling that something is going to happen." He said looking at the front door.

Capri did the same for a moment then shoved his arm. "Ehh you're probably just not feeling well. I know what would make you feel better."

"Don't say taking you on a-."

"Taking me on a date." She said with a cheeky smile.

He chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Seriously Cap… ever since those kids showed up. I… I just don't-."

He was cut off by ringing at the door. His head shot to the door and for some reason a million alarm bells went off in his head.

Capri laughed again as she walked towards the door, her stick still in hand. Aaron slowly walked behind her and kept an eye on the door.

"You're just tired Aaron, maybe later we can go order take out and watched Gladiator or something. It'll calm you right down." She said as she turned the door.

As soon as the door swung open, he broke out into a full run. It was a taller man in blue electrician's gear, and sunglasses. Aaron didn't know what was happened but everything in his body told him, he needed to get Capri away from him.

"Electrician." He said in a gruff voice.

"We didn't have an electrician today. BILL DID WE-."

"CAP LOOK OUT!" He managed to scream at the top of his lungs.

Capri whirled around just as the mans just arm came down to strike her. With more speed then he's ever seen from her she ducked. It reminded Aaron of a scene right out of the matrix, she ducked back under the man's meaty fist. She swung her stick and smacked the man in the side, which only seemed to annoy him.

She came back up and just seemed to stare at her hands in disbelief. "CAP MOVE!" He yelled running towards her.

He got there just in-time and tackled her onto her front lawn, just as he swung down again. Aaron pulled Capri back onto her feet, ad the pair whirled around and saw what in-front of them was now. The electrician had grown ten feet tall and held a massive club in his hands. Aaron tried to rack his brain to what could possible be going on.

"Aaron! What the heck is that thing!?" Capri asked frantically as he held his arms out to shield her.

"Laestrygonian…" Aaron said in a quiet voice.

"GET DOWN!" She yelled pulling Aaron to the ground

Aaron was pulled to the ground, him and Capri just narrowly avoiding the giants fist. Aaron looked up and fear for the first time completely washed over him. He stumbled up to his feet and put his arms out in-front of Capri.

"We need to do something!" Aaron said obviously.

"You can't do anything! Puny demi-gods!" The monster roared swinging again down towards them.

Aaron shoved Capri out of the way, and idea formed in his head. "Cap! Go around the other side get help! I'll distract him from the front!"

Capri didn't even decide to argue running around behind the beast. He turned to snatch her, but Aaron managed to grab a rock and toss it up to his head.

"HEY! Here ugly!" He yelled gaining the monsters attention.

The beast turned around and met his gaze, and suddenly Aaron felt himself freeze up again. The giant hand from the monster swung down towards him. He just barely managed to get out of the way, but he tripped sending him sprawling to the ground. He looked at the giant stood over him.

"Hahaha! Puny demi-god I will feast on your-. OWWWWWW!" He yelled as something protruded from his hand.

Aaron looked closer and saw an arrow poking out of his hand now. Next thing he knew an orange blur slammed into the giant sending him sprawling to the ground.

"HA! That was so easy, I've never even held a bow before!" A female voice rang in his ear.

"It's because you're an Apollo kid, now pay attention!" Another voice stressed.

"Aaron!" He finally heard the familiar voice of Capri.

He sat up and was slammed into a hug by Capri. He looked up into her eyes and felt himself heat up for a moment, a mixture of joy and relief hit him.

"Um you two can ogle each other later! There's a monster over there!" The other female voice said.

Aaron shot up and saw the two standing in-front of him. "You two!?" He yelled, with Capri helping him up to his feet.

The two kids who had rang Capri's door-bell earlier had come to their aid. Aaron looked at the girl was holding a bow out in-front of her with a quiver of arrows on her back, and a small sword on her hip. The guy was behind her, leaning on a sword, that flickered between that and the image of a baseball bat. Aaron knew that it couldn't be a coincidence they were here again. They had to have something to due with that monster that was still rolling on the ground now. He pulled Capri back behind him.

"Who the hell are the two of you!? And what do you want!?" He demanded from the two of them.

The guy looked ready to speak but the girl beat him to it. "We told you, we're demi-gods. Children of the gods, we got sent here to find the two of you because you're demi-gods as well. Now I hate repeating myself, either come with us, or stay here and get eaten by a giant it's no skin off my bones either way." She said with an eye-roll.

Aaron scoffed. "Ha, yeah and I'm a priest. I'm not an idiot that monster showing up has something to do with you! It has to!" He demanded.

"So much for a thank you…" The girl muttered turning to the boy.

The guy sighed and took a step forward. "Now look I know this is all hard to digest, but everything she said it true. You'll only be safe if you both come with us."

Aaron laughed. "HA as if me or Cap would just wonder off with two strangers we just met! You're both insane, and what were you doing so close to here!? Were you spying on us-."

"LOOK OUT!" Capri yelled stepping in-front and of them and shoving them out of the way.

Aaron whirled around, and the giant had stood again, preparing to swing its giant fist down at them. Aaron looked to find Capri, to get her out of there, but she was in-front of the group now. The girl was busy loading an arrow, while the boy rushed forward. Aaron felt helpless for a second, but his eyes widened when he saw Capri directly in the monster's line of sight.

"CAP NO!" He yelled running towards her.

The monster swung down towards her. "STOP NOW!" She yelled holding her hand up.

Out of nowhere, the giant completely stopped. Its hand was only inches away from slamming Capri away. She looked just as surprised as everyone else. The monster looked at his hand as if he was confused as well, but he was cut off by an arrow hitting its chest.

"AHHHHHH NOOOOO!" It yelled before another one hit it.

Finally, with insane speed the boy dashed forward and slashed his sword around the monster's stomach, and it exploded. It shimmered in a light of golden dust right where it had previously been standing. Aaron looked at the scene trying to digest what happened before he remembered Capri.

"Cap!" He yelled running over to her.

She was still standing there in shock from what had just happened. He stood in-front of her and placed hands on her shoulder.

"Cap? Are you okay!?" He asked more forcefully.

She shook her head and collapsed onto him. He caught her, and she managed to straighten herself again.

"I… I think so. What's going on? What was that thing doing here?" She pleaded hoping for an answer.

Aaron shook his head. "I don't know, but I'm going to find out." He said turning to the two older kids scoping the area where the monster was now dust.

They finally looked back to him and looked about to say something before Aaron beat them to it. "I want answers! I want them now! Tell me who you are, where you come from, why that monster was here, and everything else, I need to know!" He yelled.

The girl sighed. "You were right definitely an Athena kid." She mumbled.

The boy nodded his head in agreement and walked up to Aaron. "Alright Aaron, I'll give you your answers. But you're going to have to trust us. What do you say? Do you wanna learn more about your mother?"

Aaron was taken a back and he looked over at Capri who was holding onto his arm. For her sake, the one person he had left who he really cared about he knew the answer.

He sighed. "Alright, I'll bite. Now what the hell is going on?"


	6. Chapter 6

Ella liked the silence.

But not this silence.

She had always preferred quietness over loud noises. She was used to the noise, as in Cabin 11 you couldn't have quiet time. So, she sought it anytime she could. Kino loved to sleep on her lap when the noise was gone and she liked it. Kino would move her ears and make her quietly laugh about it.

Connor was driving, despite the new girl's protests about that she was a good driver and that she should do it. Connor didn't budge and Ella was happy about it. The two new guys were in a bit of shock, probably because of what just happened to them, and were talking in whispers and glancing at both Connor and the new girl, Sydney. And the other guy- Brett was his name? -was staring at the wall while Hestia was in silence.

"Connor?" Ella finally spoke, making Connor actually glance at her. "Can we make another stop...?" He glanced at her and saw her face, recognizing the expression. He smiled at her.

"Sure thing" He agreed with her, and before anyone could complain, he spoke up. "We will make a bathroom stop soon, so hold on!"

"Yay!" Ella cheered, trying to light up the situation. That only caused the others to finally speak.

"How can you be this happy?" The Brett guy said, not even looking at her. Ella was confused, but let him talk. "How are you this happy to be taken away from your family? My Mom must be worried sick that I'm gone!"

"Hey! Don't talk about things you have no idea!" Connor cut in, serious. The other girl, Sydney, rolled her eyes.

"Let the guy rant! He has reasons to!"

"I'm not talking about him." Connor finished the conversation when he pulled away the highway to stop in a gas station. As soon as he parked, he got out, without any ceremony, and helped Ella out of the truck, who had gone quiet after Brett's outsburst. Connor gently guided her towards the bathroom door and waited for her outside, while the rest watched, frowning and surprised.

"What is his problem?!" Sydney complained to no one, but Hestia decided it was time to speak up.

"Connor and Ella had gone through lots of things, things you could only understand by far." She explained, being as cryptic as always. "Whether they decided to open with you or not is up to them."

"That sounds like an excuse to me." Sydney concluded, with an air of sufficiency. Hestia stayed quiet, watching how Ella came out of the bathroom and jumped on Connor's back while he chuckled and walked into the store. The environment inside the truck was getting depressed by the second and soon, the goner were back.

"We brought snacks." Ella shared, not as perky as she was outside. No one said anything, so she stayed quiet before climbing up front with Connor and sitting by his side, while he put the truck in motion again. However, Connor decided not to stay in that silent anymore and started to talk to Ella, ignoring the rest of them.

"So, whatcha wanna do when you get back to Camp?" The entire truck could see Ella's bright face.

"I'll take Kino out for a walk, and we'll go to the strawberry fields and then, probably to the lava wall-"

"You know that's dangerous? Not to mention unhealthy?!" The new guy, the one who was with the girl, finally seemed to snap out of his trance of silence and asked. Ella looked at him, confused.

"Kino is not sick." She defended her pet. "And the lava wall is not dangerous... unless you fall, but Lee is there to help any case-"

"Lee?"

"Yeah, Lee. He's the Head Councilor of Apollo." She explained, rolling her eyes as if she was talking to a small kid. Connor simply chuckled at the twelve-year-old-girl scolding. "He's the best and there's no wound he cannot heal!"

"That's very true." Connor replied, smiling, before looking at the rest through the mirror. "Apollo kids are our resident doctors and it's very weird they cannot heal something-"

"You mean to say I can heal people? Cool!" Sydney butted in, making Ella roll her eyes.

"No! You have to chant the Hymn of Apollo to heal people, duh!"

"Hey, you don't have to give us attitude, brat!"

"I'm not a brat!"

"Don't call her brat!"

"Considering that the girl knows more than you, I'd suggest you all to shut up!" The new girl, the one everyone said it was the daughter of a celebrity, ordered. Ella shared a glance with Connor and pointed at the girl.

"She's like Silena."

"Cookies for you!" Connor handed her cookies, smirking. Ella smirked back and ate them, happily. "Not so many, or Chiron will have my head..."

"Chiron? As in 'Chiron, the trainer of heroes'?" Ella nodded, offering him a cookie.

"Yeah, that Chiron." Connor answered, while driving. "Thought, after a thousand years, I bet he has seen it all..."

* * *

Connor had often felt that he was in over his head many times during his life and this experience fit right in that category.

He felt like a dad driving a dysfunctional family around as the new demigods packed into the camp truck to head back to Long Island.

Whether it was telling Sydney to knock it off as she kept flicking the back of Brett's ear or finding a way to answer all of Aaron's questions about the Greek gods.

After being a camper for two years, Connor had picked up on the indicators of a young demigods parentage. Aaron was most likely an Athena demigod due to his desire to learn. It wasn't that being an Athena demigod automatically made them this way, they just had a tendency to try and learn as much as they could. Go figure.

The group would stop occasionally to crash at a cheap motel or to grab some cheap burgers from a fast food place.

It was at one of these stops that Sydney pulled him aside.

"So why are you really doing this?" She asked abruptly with a suspicious look.

The Apollo demigod has hesitantly decided to play along with everything that was going on but she still had her suspicions.

One of her biggest suspicions was their so-called leader, a Nike demigod that seemed way too nice.

In her experiences, people who were as nice as this had something to hide and she intended to find out.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"You can't really be this nice all the time, no one just acts this nice to people without having a reason for it," she asked jabbing her finger into his chest.

Connor just looked at her and opened his mouth to say something before he heard Ella's young voice.

"Connor! We need to hit the road! Chiron is probably worried sick about us!" She spoke up as she climbed into the truck next to Brett who Connor could've sworn had a little bit of a blush on his face.

"This isn't over," Sydney whispered to him as she also climbed into the back.

The rest of the ride went by about as smoothly as a demigod road trip could go before Connor parked the truck at camp.

"Welcome to Camp Half-Blood!" He said as they got out and stepped into the camp.

He could tell by the wide eyed looks on the faces of the newbies that they were stunned by the setup. He really couldn't blame them for feeling that way, he and Ella had the same experience except they came in without a guide.

He started giving them the tour around the campgrounds from the canoe lake all the way to the Hermes cabin.

"This is where you'll be staying until you're claimed by your godly parents or you get claimed by a minor god like me and Ella did," Connor explained as he pointed inside where several campers were shuffling around.

"Ella, would you mind introducing them to the other campers? I need to go check in with Chiron at the Big House," Connor asked as Ella nodded and walked the newcomers into the crowded cabin.

Connor knew that several of the campers were disgruntled with the setup of the Hermes cabin. Many had been in there for months or years and still hadn't been claimed. They wanted to go back to their mortal families but had to stay at camp to avoid becoming monster chow.

The Nike demigod just shook his head and walked over to the Big House where he found Annabeth, one of the Athena campers, sitting next to a disheveled looking black haired kid who was sleeping on a cot on the front porch.

"Hello Annabeth, is that a new friend of yours?" Connor asked as he made his way over.

Annabeth, Connor, and Ella were some of the few campers who normally stayed year round so they knew each other by name but that was about it.

"Hey Connor, he came in last night, we found him at the border with this," she explained as she pointed to a shoe box.

Connor raised an eyebrow and walked over to examine the box and upon seeing the contents, his heart rate spiked a bit.

In the shoe box was one of the horns of the legendary beast, the Minotaur.

Whoever this kid was, he was going to be one powerful demigod and a spectacular ally to have and a terrifying enemy to anyone who stood in his way.


	7. Chapter 7

"Ughhhhh! Get off of me you crazy dog!" Aaron yelled, pushing the yellow lab off of him, pulling his sleeping bag back over his head.

The dog simply stared at him for a few seconds, before attempting to burrow his way into Aaron sleeping bag. Aaron managed to survive the barrage for a few moments before the dog decided to take drastic measures and decided to sit on-top of him. Realizing for the second day in a row he wasn't going to get any sleep he sighed in defeat and opened his eyes looking up at the ceiling of his new cabin.

The dog, who the little girl Ella had called Kino put his head overtop of Aaron's and stared at him. "Well I give up, you got what you wanted." He said to the dog dryly.

The lab barked and licked its tongue over Aaron's face a few times, causing him to sigh in annoyance at his now slobbery face.

He barked happily and walked away, towards an all to familiar laugh. He sat up, his back stiffer than it has ever been, he looked over and saw Capri laughing with the younger girl Ella as she petted the dog.

He rolled his eyes. "You know, you could've just woken me up the normal way." He told her.

She smiled and flipped her brown hair behind her back, "Well for your information Mr. Cranky pants I did try the normal way. Come on, you need to get up, we're going to breakfast." She told him.

He hated to admit how natural she looked dressed up as a camper. She had her orange camp half-blood t-shirt on, with a pair of jean-shorts and white Nike tennis shoes. Her brown eyes meshed perfectly with her caramel brown hair flowing down her back. He sighed and climbed out of his sleeping bag. He changed into a pair of Nike shorts to go along with his orange camp-shirt. He didn't bother trying to comb his hair, so he just ran his hand through it a few times and slipped on his black and white sneakers.

"So, Ella," He asked the young girl stretching out, trying to get his back to crack, "How much longer till I actually get my own bed? You know in a cabin where I'm not sleeping with some other kid's dirty socks near my head?" He asked.

"Well your godly parent has to claim you." She explained in a sweet voice as they walked out the door of the cabin.

It had only been a handful of days at the camp, and Aaron so far missed his old bed at his Uncle's his uncle was an old, stupid, drunk who despised him. However, the room he had in his house was much better than his current arrangements. It was all real, gods, monsters, demi-gods, Satyrs, but as he walked through the camp full of the proof smacking him in the face, the more he wanted to turn and run.

The caramel haired girl next to him was the only reason he didn't. So, he knew if he was going to stay he would like to at least have a bed.

"Well how long until my Mom claims me?" He asked the girl.

Her face seemed to fall slightly. "Well… it's impossible to say. Some people it happens in days or a few weeks. Some people they… they never get claimed. Some people in Hermes cabin have been here for years and haven't been claimed." She said sounding sadder.

The three of them sat down at the table. Aaron sat on the edge so Capri and Ella didn't have too, so even though his butt was halfway off he still managed to stay up.

His brain went into overdrive, ignoring the sad look she had he inquired further. "So how or when have people been claimed? What were the circumstances around it?" He asked her.

Capri rolled her eyes knowing when he got into an inquisitive state like this there was no stopping him. Ella seemed to rack her brain. "Well normally they're after capture the flag, sword-fighting tournaments, the one kid, I think his name was Percy, the one who left for the quest! He got claimed after he beat that meanie Clarisse and a few Ares kids by himself! Oh, look there's Connor!" She said, spotting the older boy.

The small girl happily ran off to join the older boy and Aaron sigh in relief when the other half of his butt finally hit the bench.

Capri saw the look on his face, like a lightbulb had gone off and sighed, laughing a little. "Ahaha you really want that bed, don't you?" She asked him.

He nodded. "If we're going to stay here, I don't want to be sleeping in a sleeping bag on the floor. I think I finally have the solution!" He said proudly.

She smiled and laughed a little again. "Ha, and what is your solution?" She asked.

He looked at her. "It's just like back in ancient times. The gods take notice of heroes who perform great feats. That Percy kid defeated a bunch of warriors by himself and helped his team win capture the flag, that must've gotten his parents attention!" He said very proud of himself.

Capri blushed a little seeing his enthusiasm. She knew that Aaron was only like this with her. To other people he may seem sarcastic, dry, cocky, and like a know it all. However, when you go to know the real him, like she did, he was one of the best people to have in your corner.

"So, what is your actual plan Aaron?" She asked him.

"It's simple really, I just need to perform a great feat! Something that'll catch my mom's attention. We aren't playing Capture the Flag for a few days, so maybe I'll go and win a duel or something." He said, his grey eyes moving like storm clouds.

Capri have him a cross look. "Umm, are you sure Aaron? I know we've trained before, but the some of the people I see are like really good. We only learn so much from online videos and watching Gladiator." She told him.

He knew his plan would work. He stood up with a determined look on his face. Capri sighed and shook her head, once one of Aaron's plans were in motion he wouldn't stop them until they either failed or succeeded.

"I've never been surer. I'll get claimed, then you'll get claimed and we can actually sleep in a bed!" He said.

How good could the kids at this camp actually be?

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"Maybe this wasn't one of my best ideas…" He muttered, rolling out of the way of another strike.

"Come on Aaron! Keep your guard up!" Luke ordered, as he tried to be helpful while trying to hack him to bits.

He could see Capri in the crowd of spectators, wincing whenever Luke swung at him. After breakfast had concluded, he and Capri had made their way to the sword fighting arena and found Luke taking a break from teaching a class. With the thought of a warm bed that night in mind Aaron had challenged the older camper to a duel and safe to say it didn't seem like he was getting his bed tonight.

He rolled up and went to slash at both of Luke's shoulders. He blocked both blows and went for a stab. Aaron managed to side step and spun around going for a strike at the back of Luke's legs. He was expecting it however and leaped forward before spinning around knocking Aaron's sword out of his hand. Before he could blink after that Luke's sword was at his neck.

He could hear a few claps from the crowd, including what seemed like a sigh of relief from Capri as Luke smiled at him and reached down, picking up his sword. He handed it to him and Aaron sighed before taking it from him.

"That wasn't bad at all for only a few days at camp Aaron. I think you're ready for the advanced class I teach." He said, trying to reassure him.

Aaron sighed and nodded his thanks, before the son of Hermes left. Capri came up to him biting her lip nervously as she examined the bruise on his cheek. She gently ran her fingers over it and he winced when she did.

"Yikes that doesn't look good…" She said looking back at him.

Aaron sighed, feeling defeated. If he was being honest he wanted the bed for Capri. He would have found a way around the whole, you can't sleep in anyone other than your godly parent's cabin. He would've gone and slept outside if he had too. She must have seen the disheveled look on his face, because she gave him a small smile.

"Don't worry Aaron, we'll be fine." She told him.

He sighed again and was about to respond before he was interrupted. "Hey, you two lovebirds we need you at the big house."

Behind them was Connor standing there, with Ella standing next to him smiling like usual. Aaron was embarrassed and didn't particularly want to go to a meeting with their little rescue group.

"You know, we never agreed to join your little group!" He snapped at the two.

Connor to his credit must have gotten used to his outbursts fairly quickly. He rolled his eyes. "We've been over this Aaron, none of us chose to join, Hestia picked us all. And she's well you know… a goddess! Now come on, let's go." He said gesturing for them to follow.

Aaron rolled his eyes, and if not for Capri giving him a pleading look he wouldn't have followed. He followed the three up to the big house on the hill. The house seriously creeped him out, but thankfully they were meeting outside at the ping-pong table. The whole 'rescue squad' was around it. The blonde girl Sydney, the brooding kid Brett, Hestia, and of course he, Capri, Connor and Ella. Reluctantly he sat down on a stool next to Capri. As soon as he counted everyone was there Connor stood up and cleared his throat.

"Okay everyone! We have another demi-god who needs rescuing. The point of this meeting if to decide who's going to go. Any volunteers?" He said, trying to sound upbeat.

However, when nobody raised his hand, Sydney decided to stand up. "Okay well I guess we gotta TELL people they're coming. Me and Connor are going. You, moody kid, Brett? Yeah that's your name, you can stay." She said pointing to the kid.

He huffed, and her eyes came over to him and Capri, she rubbed her chin wonderingly. "Mhmm, Capri. I could use some more girl power on this mission, you'll come too!" She said with a smile.

Something clicked in Aaron at that moment. The idea of Capri going without him on some dangerous mission set off warning bells all over his body. They still barely knew these people; how could he trust them to keep her safe? He was not going to take that chance.

"No!" He exclaimed shooting up.

All eyes fell onto him and he felt his skin crawl. He turned over to look at Sydney and Connor. "I'll go." He told them.

He felt Capri staring daggers into his back. He knew she probably wouldn't be too happy with him, but it was worth it to keep her safe. Sydney seemed to laugh a little, she must have seen the fallout the two of them were going to have.

"Okay then… well, it looks like this mission is a go!" She said slamming her hand down on the table for dramatic affect.

* * *

The hum of a car riding down the highway was becoming the norm for the DRS. The long drive to Louisiana had not been easy.

Connor was behind the wheel while Sydney sat in the passenger seat. Hestia and Aaron sat in the back. They were making their way through the Appalachian mountains during the night and Aaron had finally decided to sleep with his head leaned against the window.

Hestia made a blanket appear and put it over him which made Connor smile but Sydney just rolled her eyes.

Connor just looked at her with a frown on his face. He knew she was very unreceptive of everything in camp even though she had been officially been claimed as a daughter of Apollo.

"You know, it wouldn't hurt to just accept all of this. I can understand why Aaron is like this, he still hasn't been claimed but you know who your godly parent is, that's better than what a lot of the other kids at camp," he said in a low tone trying to keep from waking up Aaron.

"You don't know anything about me Connor, if you were raised the way I was, you'd have a hard time trusting anyone too," she said as she kept her eyes on the scenery as they rode by.

"Well how about we start there, why don't you tell me more about yourself?" Connor offered.

Sydney looked at Connor and they briefly made eye contact before he looked back at the road.

She sighed out loud, "Might as well I guess."

That's when Sydney started to share her upbringing and it all started to make sense to Connor.

"My mom was stuck with two little girls and dad that never showed up. She tried her best but she ended up turning to booze. She'd come home late from the bar and cry her eyes out blaming us for her all the bad stuff in her life. Me and my sis, we tried to convince each other it wasn't our faults until one night….mom didn't come home," she said as her tone became much more pained and Connor put the pieces together.

Sydney's mom died in a drunk driving accident.

"That was when I was 10, after that me and sis were put in separate homes. She got the happy family with a dog and a nice house while I got the terrible family with a stuck up brat as their only kid that loved to pick on the new girl. I tried to stick it out as long as I could until one day, mom and dad came home to their little boy with a broken nose and a black eye and a goodbye letter from yours truly." Sydney spoke as she got a bit of a smirk at the end of her story.

"You gave that kid what he deserved," Connor responded.

"That happened when I was 16, I dropped out of school after that and the bar was kind enough to give me a job. I've been there ever since," Sydney explained.

"Weren't you a little young to be doing that?" Connor asked.

Sydney just shrugged, "They didn't seem to mind, as long as I helped keep the peace by kicking out troublemakers."

Connor previously had the urge to try not to mess with Sydney but hearing her talk, he knew she had a tough life and had to fight for pretty much everything. It was kind of similar to his own life. Except while she was fighting for survival, he was fighting for his dad's approval. That was something he moved on from and he was glad he found something else worth fighting for.

"So what about you? Does the jock have a sad story too?" Sydney asked with a bit of a sneer.

Connor just rolled his eyes but he agreed that if she was going to tell her story, he'd might as well share his.

"My dad was a star linebacker in the NFL. He didn't necessarily want me to be his successor, but I felt I was always fighting to look good in his eyes. He grew up poor and had to fight for just about anything and worked his ass off until he became the best. I always felt that unless I worked just as hard, I'd be a disappointment. I woke up at 5 every morning and worked out, ran for miles, and watched film of my football games religiously. It was always an uphill battle for me until one day dad sat me down for a talk. Told me he loved me regardless of what I did and I...I just couldn't stomach that. I ran away from home and that's when I found Ella and then Nike claimed me. That was two years ago and Ella's been a sister to me ever since. She and this new outfit, the DRS, it's given me a new purpose."

Sydney just looked at him before she busted out laughing out loud which got an irritated look from a now awake Aaron.

Connor's competitive side made him want to get angry, to yell back at Sydney for treating his story as a joke but he knew better. Compared to her life, his life probably seemed a lot better.

"Well, at least we know each other better now. Get some rest, we have a lot more road in front of us," Connor said as he kept his eyes on the road.

Sydney just shrugged her shoulders before getting comfortable in her seat and going to sleep.

* * *

"Is this really it?"

That was Aaron's first thoughts on the house they found and while it was a bit harsh, they were all thinking it.

"Let's just knock and see if they're home," Connor spoke before walking towards the house.

"Oh of course, because that _always_ works," Sydney said sarcastically and Hestia giggled.

These three were going to be the death of him.

The house was not that far outside of New Orleans and in typical Louisiana fashion, it was on the bayou.

It was more of a glorified shack than a house though as it was old and wooden with fading wood all over it.

Connor finished looking over the house before taking a deep breath and walking up to the door and giving it a gentle knock.

There was the sound of people talking inside before the door was finally opened to reveal a girl who wasn't much older than Ella.

She had brown hair with green eyes and slightly tanned skin that still had a pale look to it.

"Can I help you?" The girl asked. She clearly didn't recognize the demigods and was a bit concerned why some strangers were knocking on her door.

"Hey there! We're with the DRS. Otherwise known as the demigod rescue squad! We've come here from Camp Half-Blood to bring you back with us to help train you to protect you from monsters," Connor said with a smile.

He was promptly met with a slammed door to no one's surprise.

"Smooth," Aaron and Sydney said in unison.

Connor took a deep breath. This wasn't a surprise to him.

It's kind of hard to basically say: " _Hey there! Your whole life is a lie and Greek gods exist! Come get in our car!"_

Well, it was hard to say it without getting a door slammed in your face afterwards.

Connor knocked on the door and patiently waited.

He had to be patient if he wanted to get through to her.

It took some time but after knocking some more and waiting she finally came back.

"Look I'm not interested in your-"

"You haven't had an easy life have you? You can't sit still in school and when you read the words seem to run off the page don't they?" He asked and the girl looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"Listen, I know we seem like some crazy people off the street but I'm here to tell you that you aren't alone. There are more people like you. People who can help you."

Now the girl had opened the door some more and motioned for them to come inside.

She could make some time to listen to what they had to say.


	8. Chapter 8

After watching how Aaron and Capri had non-verbally argued about the quest, Ella decided not to show her displeasure when Connor was picked to go.

But, that didn't stop her from acting like a little sister. She hugged him tight before leaving.

"Be safe, big brother..." She whispered in his ear and he simply nodded, stroking her hair and leaving with Aaron to the outside world. Luckily, Ella had Kino around to cheer her up, but it was not the same. However, she took a deep breath and faced the two of the new demigods. "So, I shall show you the rest of Camp Half-Blood! Follow me!"

Capri and Brett had no other choice but to follow her, as she took the lead. Brett had a nonchalant attitude towards everything, he seemed to cool down from his 'what will happen to my Mom' outburst. Capri, however, had her head somewhere else.

And let everyone know about it.

"How does he dare to treat me like that?!" She exploded, shaking her arms around. Brett jumped a few inches away from her, mostly in surprise more than anything. Her face was getting red in anger and her eyes were glaring at whatever it was on her way. "We're the same age, who the Hell-"

"Hades." Capri stopped her rant to look at Ella.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"You say ' _what the Hades_ ' or ' _who the Hades_ '... or ' _Holy_ ' followed by the name of a god or goddess... I personally like to say ' _Holy Mist_ ' and I rather not say ' _what the Hades_ ' because he's not s bad guy, he just was forced into a bad job..." She explained, totally innocent. Brett raised an eyebrow while Capri had been shocked into silence.

" _Holy Mist_?" He repeated, not sure. Ella nodded and Brett just had to ask why. "Why?"

"Well, the Mist protects normal people from the monsters most the time... and protects us, sometimes..." Ella shrugged, before turning to them. "You guys are demigods now, so better learn now than later..."

"Can I curse?" Capri checked. Aaron deserved to be cursed.

"Curses become real, so unless Aaron had done something horribly horrible, I say you stay to the ones I told you..." Then, Ella walked closer to her and whispered in her ear. "There are always spirits listening that could escape Tartarus and enact the curse..." The spooky sensation was tingling around and, while Capri could think it was a nice joke, Ella didn't seem to be laughing about it.

"Um, alright..." Ella smiled at her and nodded.

"If it's any consolation, most girls here would have acted worst than you... Only a bunch would never complain of going to quests." And while saying that last, she pointed to where Capri now remembered where the cabins are. They had only seen two places, Big House, an old cabin painted in a blue that looked like it was falling into different pieces, and the cabin areas. Capri had realized that they all were different and posed the question to Ella, who smiled sadly in reply.

"Do you choose the cabin according to your aptitudes?"

"No, you choose the cabin according to your godly parent." She replied, the same minute Kino came back with a ball to throw. She smiled and threw it for him to retrieve. "For example, Aaron, he's smart and logical, he probably will go to Cabin 6, that's the Cabin of Athena's children..."

"Who is your godly parent?" Brett asked, raising an eyebrow at her. Ella simply shrugged, but had a sad look.

"Don't know. All I know is on my Mother's side. Connor doesn't have a cabin either even though Nike is his godly parent. That's why we stay in Cabin 11, because we have nowhere else to go." She finished edgily the topic of her parentage and continued the tour. "Besides the cabins, we have a dining pavilion, a volleyball court, an arena to train, strawberry fields, a lava wall, the infirmary, the armory, a crafts and arts room, along with an amphitheater and a bonfire near the lake's beach! Oh! And stables! But the pegasi don't let anyone ride them..."

"Armory?"

"Lava wall?"

"Beach?"

"Did you say ' _pegasi_ '?!"

Ella giggled at their torrent of questions. It was funny to picture herself asking all those questions. It wasn't that long ago, but she had refrained to only open her eyes wide and keep behind Connor, just in case it was a trick.

"What are those?" Brett suddenly pointed at a girl that was coming out of the water. Ella looked in that direction and could see the surprise on their faces when the girl showed her light blue skin and pointy elf ears.

"Is a ' _who_ ', not a ' _what_ '." Ella corrected him, frowning a little. "Those are Nymphs, Nature Spirits. They live in the lake but once in a while come out to spend time ashore." She then proceed to wave at the girl, who waved back and went back into the water. "They are a little shy..."

"You only have water nymphs?" Capri asked.

"No, there are Dryads too, but they live by the woods... They can't be away of their origin for too long..." She explained. "You can also see satyrs too. They usually have a volleyball game with the Apollo kids every afternoon..."

"Satyrs?"

"Those hooved dudes with horns on their heads and fur?"

"A word of advice, opening your mind now would be better than to question if you're sane." Ella giggled at their surprised faces. Kino barked next to her as if saying 'she's right!'. She hugged her dog close and smiled.

"What about him?" Brett pointed at Kino, almost frowning.

"Kino is a normal dog. Though I don't know of anyone that can talk to him, besides the satyrs..." Ella looked at Kino as if asking him ' _can you talk with someone else?_ '. Of course, Kino didn't reply conventionally, he simply licked her face. "Kino!" She laughed and cleaned her face.

"Well, well, well..." The group heard from behind and Kino stopped licking his owner to growl a little. "Control your beast or I'll make a coat of him."

"Don't you dare, Mark!" Ella grabbed Kino closer to her, sounding between terrified and brave. Capri was already behind her, supporting her.

"How proud must be your parents that you bully a little girl..." Capri made herself noticed, though she didn't need to. She and Brett were the reason why that group of scary-looking, big-and-buff boys walked closer to them. The leader, the one Ella called Mark, smirked at them.

"You must be new, so we will forgive you to side with this little monster..." Ella growled at them, looking angry. Capri had that same instinct, to get angry at them. However, she tried to be more civilized, noticing that everyone was staring at them. "However, I will be performing your ' _official welcome_ ' to Camp... Nothing happens here without our approval..."

"Means you're scared after Percy put Clarisse in her place..." Ella mumbled, much to Brett's surprise, who was standing there in silence. The guy at Mark's right took a step forward and grabbed her by the shirt, lifting her up. Everyone immediately jumped into action. Kino started to growl and bite some legs, while Brett was trying to push them apart. Capri was left to shout at them.

"Connor is not here to protect you now, squirt!"

" **Hey! Put her down!** " Capri's demand sounded loud and clear and, for some reason she didn't understand- she hoped it wasn't because they wanted to deal with her instead -they placed Ella down, who was with her eyes wide open looking at her. Capri, however, was ignorant of this little fact. " **Leave her alone if you know what's good!** "

The next thing that happened freaked her out a little.

The group of muscular guys took several steps back and stared at her in between fear and hatred. Suddenly, a light surrounded Capri's feet and started to glow up, changing her clothes from usual camping clothes that she had been borrowing to a delicate, white and sleeveless dress. Her skin, that had been a little neglected, was glowing and her hair, that she hated to fix in the morning, looked and felt as if she had been in the hairdresser's for hours!

"Capri!" Ella was the first one speaking, a little in excitement. "Look!" She pointed up her head and everyone could see a dove disappearing over her head.

"Wh- what does that mean?" She asked, a little scared.

"It means, child..." Chiron spoke, as he had trotted to the site and was- trying to, actually -kneeling to her. Actually, everyone was kneeling in front of her. Even the guys that were bothering them a few minutes before! Brett was the only one who didn't have a clue of what to do, but Ella's pull down helped. "That you're being claimed..."

"Claimed...?" Capri repeated, unsure. "Who...?"

"Aphrodite!" Ella supplied. "Your Mom is the Goddess of Love!"


End file.
